A/N: Hello guys! This is my first fanfic. Review please, even if you're just insulting me. I'll have a much longer AN at the end.

The date was August 10, in the year 2010 in the imperial calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire has just declared war upon Japan. The Far East nation has held fast onto its neutrality, and now Britannia looms as the world"s only superpower. As rights to Japan"s underground resources became a hotly disputed issue, straining the diplomatic tensions between the two sides. In the decisive battle, Britannia introduced into combat the Knightmare Frame. With the Knightmares, Britannia obliterated Japan"s forces with little effort. Japan became a dominion of the empire; it was stripped of its freedom, its rights, and its name. Area 11, the defeated and once proud country of Japan was renamed with a mere number.

Shinjuku Ghetto

2017 a.t.b.

"Any last words, kid?" the captain of the Royal Guard asked. They all raised their guns and pointed them at the raven-haired teenager. His violet eyes were desperately searching for a way out of his predicament but he couldn't find one. "Wh-w-what's happening? First they kill Suzaku, now this girl! I can't believe it—I'm going to die here before I could do a single thing with my life. I couldn't even start my plans to burn Britannia to the ground. DAMMIT, if only I had more power! Wait, NUNNALLY!" Suddenly, the mysterious girl's hand grabbed onto him. Lelouch's vision was then filled with filled with a blinding white light.

"Well I didn't expect you of all people here."

"How is that possible? The girl..."

"You don't want it to end here, do you? You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal—in exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?" the girl said in his mind.

Lelouch then heard a deep booming voice that he knew all too well. Lelouch saw his father standing on a platform in the sky with men in cloaks. "A convergence with the Ragnarok connection? So the myth is beginning once again?" Lelouch then saw his life flash by. He saw himself standing over his mother's dead and bloody body in Aries Villa. Then Britannia's ruthless conquest of Japan, the nation that took him in and gave him happiness. After, he saw himself in the same warehouse he's in right now, along with a dozen members of the Royal Guard pointing their guns at him. He realized that in all the situations, he was powerless, unable to change the situation. If he were to die here, Nunnally would be left alone and his dream to destroying the Britannian Empire would be left unfulfilled. With this girl's offer for power, the answer was all to clear to him now.

"Yes, I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" he shouted, and he was brought back to reality. Suddenly, his left eye felt warm, as if it was radiating some kind of power and quickly covered it. Unconsciously, he knew exactly what it can do (AN: As in he knew that he can command others to obey, nothing more than that). Lelouch stood up and faced towards the Royal Guard. "Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?" he pondered.

Surprised by the boy's words, the captain hesitantly pointed his gun towards him. "What are you saying?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you some kind of radical?"

"What's wrong, why not shoot? Your opponent's just a schoolboy," Lelouch said mockingly. "Or have you finally realized-the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed!" Lelouch withdrew his hand back to his side, a crimson sigil manifesting itself on his eye.

The Royal Guard quaked in fear of Lelouch's mysterious eye. "Gah, what's happening here? Is this related to the girl?!"

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia command you, now all of you, DIE!" His power activated and forced the Royal Guard to obey his command.

The Royal Guard paused for a second before the power overwhelmed them. Chucking, they all looked at Lelouch with their red-rimmed eyes. "Hehehe, happily your highness!" They all turned their weapons on themselves, grins adorning their faces. "Fire!" the captain shouted before blood erupted from his neck, and he fell over dead. The other members committed suicide as well. Lelouch didn't even blink as he wiped some blood off his face.

"Ugh, disgusting," he said. "I've lived a lie up to this point. My name was a lie, my personal history a lie, even my personality was a lie. I had to lie; I was powerless! I was unable to change this world that sickens me. But this incredible power, it's mine." Lelouch grinned sinisterly. "Well then..." Lelouch's thoughts were interrupted when a Sutherland burst through the wall.

"Why are all these Royal Guard men dead?" the pilot of the Sutherland thought, "A student did all this?" She activated the external speakers. "Boy, what happened here? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?" When Lelouch didn't answer, she immediately became frustrated. "Are you deaf? Answer me or..." She used the anti-personnel gun on her Sutherland to shoot the wall behind him to scare him. "Answer me!" Much to her surprise, he didn't flinch.

"I order you to come out," Lelouch activated his power, "at once!" The pilot scoffed. "Who the hell do you think you are to order me?"

"It didn't work?" Lelouch thought, "It must need direct eye contact then." He put his hands in the air, feigning surrender. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. After you confirm my identity, I'll request your protection." Lelouch was careful to create a tone that sounded arrogant but not enough to make her shoot him.

"Nobility?" She smiled. 'Hmph, his father should reward me well then." She deactivated her knightmare and opened her cockpit. Lelouch smirked in victory when a silver-haired woman with dark skin and emerald eyes walked up to him with her gun pointed at him "Keep your hands in the air where I can see them. I'll take out your ID."

Lelouch grinned. "Simple minded Britannian." "Now then, give me your knightmare and gun." His power activated again.

"Understood. The code number is 1M-5O-13-37." (A/N: Yes, I did just do that) She tossed her knightmare's activation key to him.

"Got it." Lelouch went into the cockpit and activated it. He put his hands on the controls. "It's been a while since I've operated a knightmare. Hopefully my mother's blood runs strongly within me. With this, I'll finally be able to complete that oath I made 7 years ago."

Flashback

2010 a.t.b.

The sun was setting in the distance, bathing the land in an orange glow. The atmosphere was heavy with dread and sadness as the once proud nation of Japan was destroyed, rechristened as Area 11. Two boys were watching Genbu Kururugi's funeral pyre, lost in their thoughts with their little belongings at their feet. Suddenly, one of the boys stood up.

"I swear," he said, "I swear Suzaku so help me!" The boy known as Suzaku looked at the figure, his friend, across him. He had raven-black hair and a handsome face. His eyes were sad and he was close to crying. Abruptly, the expression in his eyes changed, displaying a look of fury and anger. "I will one day, OBLITERATE BRITANNIA!" Suzaku look at him, trying to find the courage within himself to turn his friend away from the path of violence and destruction but he could only look at him with sadness in his eyes.

Shinjuku Ghetto-Medical Facility

"So are we having a bad day?" a voice asked. Suzaku instantly opened his eyes and tried to get up. However, the pain was too much and he was forced to sit. He was in what appeared to be a medical facility. He was lying down on a bed with bandages covering his torso. He looked to his right and saw a sky blue-haired man with large circular glasses and lab coat. The man seemed very laid-back, judging from his tone and posture. "Looks like you missed the chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi," he joked. Another person, a woman with blue hair and eyes wearing a standard scientist army uniform hit him.

"Lloyd!" she scolded. The man rubbed his arm.

"Cecile! It was a joke!" he said. Cecile ignored him and showed Suzaku a pocket watch.

"This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku." Suzaku immediately recognized it. It was his father's pocket watch.

"You're very lucky that it was under your protective suit since it's was what deflected the bullet. However, your body is still bruised," Lloyd said.

"Ugh where am I?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh, we're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto."

"That's right. With Prince Clovis nearby, it's probably the safest place in Area 11."

"I see," Suzaku took the damaged watch and inspected it closely. "It was my father's. He passed it down to me before he...died." The woman nodded understandingly. However, the man just raised his eyebrow.

"You Elevens think that gods live inside everything, even objects, don't y-" He was cut off when Cecile's fist collided with his shoulder, causing him a great deal of pain. "Ceciiiilleeee!"

"Lloyd!" she scolded. However, Suzaku wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Lloyd as this and asked him something.

"Hmm? What ails you this time, Kururugi?" he asked as if Suzaku was a machine malfunctioning.

Suzaku was thinking of the events that transpired before he was shot. "Wait, where's Lelouch? Did he make it out safely? And where's that girl, and why was she in that capsule? It's possible that the 'poison gas' is just a cover-up for something else. But what are they hiding?" Suzaku was in deep thinking when a realization struck him. "If Lelouch is here, that means Nunnally's here as well! Goddammit, if Lelouch dies, I can never speak to Nunnally ever again! Grrr, I've got to get him out of there!" Cecile noticed Suzaku tense and looked at him with concern.

"Are you okay, Mr. Suzaku?" she asked. Suzaku noticed her expression and answered her.

"Oh I'm fine. But I need to do something. What's the latest on the situation?" he asked. "I can't just sit here while my best friend probably going to die. And Lelouch is a Britannian so either terrorists find and kill him, or the Royal Guard gets him out safely. But if they do that, there's a chance they"ll find his true identity." Suzaku sighed. "The best I can do is do what I'm told and hopefully Lelouch will get out of there."

"Well apparently the poison gas has been released. Massive Eleven casualties have been reported and the culprits are nowhere to be found." Cecile said.

"Damn them! To resort to terrorism is despicable; Ends gained through such methods aren't worth anything. That's why you have to change the system from the inside."

"Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare frame?" he asked. Suzaku looked at him in shock.

"There's no way an Eleven would be allowed to pilot a knightmare frame," Suzaku said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lloyd looked at him, obviously amused, and started held up a white and gold knightmare activation key.

"Well what if you could?" Lloyd mused.

10 minutes later

"Alright then, that's the last of the forms. Are you sure these are really necessary?" Suzaku asked while giving Lloyd a stack of papers.

"Of course it is. Just to be clear, we are not responsible for anything, understand?"

"...sure."

"Well then, behold, the Lancelot!" Lloyd and Cecile unveiled the knightmare. It was beautiful to say the least. It was white and gold, just like the key and pilot suit. On its forearms were flat plates that housed the blaze luminous shield and the slash harkens. The head was golden and the white armor enveloped it, looking almost like a helmet. The shoulders each had one large spike coming out of it. Overall, it was a knight in armor and it was ready for battle.

"The Lancelot is the world's first 7th generation knightmare frame. It has unparalleled performance and it's the strongest knightmare to date. Its armaments right now are only the shield and slash harkens but after it's fully completed, it will be armed with its VARIS rifle and MVS swords. The Lancelot is extremely quick and agile, but it is hard to pilot. To top it off, it doesn't have an ejection block!" Lloyd said while grinning madly. Suzaku's eyes widened, both in amazement and fear. "We...kind of blew our budget on the performance so it forgot to install the ejection system. But there will be no need for an ejection seat, right Suzaku Kururugi? If my Lancelot gets even a scratch…" Lloyd let the threat hang in the air. Suzaku could only gulp. That was the first time he'd seen the easy going scientist actually become serious.

Shinjuku Ghetto

Kallen Kozuki was having a bad day, to say the least. First, Tamaki didn't follow the damn plan (not like he could do anything right). Second, Nagata died because of Tamaki's idiocy. Third, she was being chased by two Sutherlands. Fourth, her Glasgow only have one arm. And finally, her energy filler is just about to run out.

Now that she thought about it, everything was Tamaki's fault. "Damn, just 30 minutes left." Tears were gathering around Kallen's eyes. Not only was she probably going to die here, she would die knowing that it was her group's fault for causing this massacre. "Those damn Britannians!" She let her tears freely flow, releasing the emotions that she had held back. It wasn't good for a soldier to let their emotions interfere with their duty but since this was the end, there was no need to hold back.

Her communicator suddenly activated. "The west entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance." If Kallen was capable of thinking rationally at the time, she would've probably realized that following the voice's orders was the only thing she could do at the moment. However, that was not the case.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Kallen Kozuki was, quite frankly, pissed and she was not in the mood to be obeying the orders of the mysterious voice coming from her communicator.

"That doesn't matter. If you want to win, trust me and follow my orders," the voice said calmly as if it had expected Kallen to be resistant.

"To win?" Kallen thought. Before the voice came along, all she had focused her efforts on minimizing civilian casualties. The thought of winning hadn't crossed her mind. She did the voice told her to do and maneuvered her knightmare onto the railroad tracks. "Not exactly the best place to be fighting." She was still being chased, and she started panicking. "Well? What am I supposed do now?" she yelled.

"You pathetic Eleven. If you simply run away, this hunt hasn't much to offer in the way of sport," one of the pilots in the Sutherlands chasing her said over an open channel. His arrogance made Kallen's blood boil and only motivated her keep trying to live.

"Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Jump on the train!" the voice said. As soon as he said that, Kallen noticed the train coming towards her and quickly jumped on it.

"Got it!" she said as she landed. However, she looked back and saw that one of the Sutherlands was still chasing her while the other was trapped by the train. "Crap, they're still on me! Any ideas, oh mysterious voice?" Much to her disappointment, he didn't responded.

"Was that all you got, Eleven? But then again, I shouldn't expect that much from an Eleven," the Sutherland pilot said, "The name is Jeremiah Gottwald. Commit it to memory because that is the name of the man that has defeated you!" The Sutherland raised its rifle to fire but a slash harken appeared out of nowhere and damaged the Sutherland and destroyed the rifle in the process. "What the f-" A stream of bullets hit Jeremiah, forcing him to eject. "Beaten by Elevens terrorists, how disgraceful. As if I haven't been humiliated enough already," Jeremiah admitted while his cockpit soared through the air. Kallen noticed that the second Sutherland was trapped by the train and took the chance to fire a slash harken at it, destroying the unit and causing the pilot to eject.

"Thanks but who are you?" Kallen asked but when she looked back at the place where she followed the cable to, nothing was there. Kallen sighed. "Who was he?" Of course Kallen was just assuming the owner of the voice was male. She was thinking of the person's identity when her radio crackled to life and the voice she recognized as Ohgi's came through.

"Kallen, are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Ever since her brother Naoto died, Ohgi took it upon himself to fill the role of being Kallen's big brother than Naoto left behind.

"I'm okay but I heard some mysterious voice over the radio."

"Us too. It told us to meet you over here." Conveniently, the voice appeared once again.

"Are you their leader?" it asked Ohgi.

"Uhh I guess so." he said.

"I present to you the cargo inside the train. They're tools for your victory if you trust me of course." Ohgi and the others opened the train cars, which to their surprise, were full of brand-new Britannian Sutherlands. They could only stare at the knightmare frames in amazement and surprise.

"WHY WOULD WE NEED YOUR HELP? WITH THESE, WE COULD KICK SOME BRITANNIAN ASS AND WE DON'T NEED SOME RANDOM VOICE TELLING US WHAT TO DO!" a particularly obnoxious resistance member yelled.

"Tamaki, calm down! I don't know who this guy is but we should give him a chance since he gave us these Sutherlands." Ohgi reasoned. "Besides, your opinion is always wrong; it's the reason we're here right now!"

"SHUT UP OHGI!"

"Are you children done bickering now?" the voice asked. Before Tamaki could respond, Ohgi put his hand over his mouth.

"What are your orders?" Ohgi inquired.

"Get into the Sutherlands. They have similar controls to a Glasgow so they shouldn't be too hard to control. I'll give all of you your code names and orders in about 10 minutes. Woman in the Glasgow!" the voice ordered.

"Y-Yes?"

"Stay where you are. Your unit's running decoy, got it?"

"Understood."

"Energy filler status?"

"About 5%."

"Recharge it. Let's hope that you're as good as I think you are." Before Kallen could respond, the voice deactivated its radio.

A few hundred meters away from Kallen's position, Lelouch's knightmare was perched inside a building. Inside the machine, Lelouch was sweating bullets, which he quickly wiped off. The effort of turning a terrorist group into a force capable of beating Clovis's men exhausted him, and the lack of ventilation in the cockpit didn't help either. Lelouch took some deep breaths. "This is wearing me out. Cornelia must have some amazing endurance to be able to be the commander she is," Lelouch said to himself. "Wait a minute. A sweaty Corne-GODDAMN HORMONES!" Lelouch quickly cut off that thought before lewd thoughts filled his mind. His thoughts then took a more serious turn. "Regardless, I need determination to succeed. After all, I"m betting my life on this, and probably Nunnally's as well. If I die here, Nunnally will no one to care for her, and my identity will be revealed. That means that Nunnally will be put back into the Royal Family, and the Elevens will be killed because of my death!" Lelouch twirled the black king chess piece he found in his hand. This is no game. This is war! For everyone"s sake, I must win!" Lelouch said as he tightly clenched the king piece in his fist.

Shinjuku Ghetto G-1

"The terrorists are mixed with the Eleven populace and are mounting a minor resistance against us, but they pose little threat to our vastly superior forces," a corpulent, dark-skinned man with glasses said to the man behind him, Clovis la Britannia.

"Yes, we know that. The 'poison gas', which is what the public thinks it is, must be found! Remember, I want her dragged back here, dead or alive!" Clovis stood up, wearing a serious expression. "This is an order from Clovis la Britannia, 3rd prince of the Holy Britannia Empire! Complete it or there will be consequences!" Clovis threatened. The people in the room paled.

"Yes, your highness!" they all shouted in unison.

Lelouch watched as the group he found ready themselves for the upcoming battle. People were moving various boxes and equipment, getting inside the knightmares, or testing the controls on the Sutherlands.

"Hey! Are you sure about this whole thing? These knightmares all have their IFF's removed. What is this is a trap?" the loud-mouthed one, Tamaki, asked.

"The enemy has the total advantage in this battle! They don't need to set any traps!" the leader, Ohgi, answered. Despite knowing him only for a little while, Lelouch could tell he was a natural leader. He was calm, smart, and knew how to organize a large amount of people with only a little chaos. All he needed was some confidence, but that could be easily attained with enough battle experience.

"Good. At least someone in the group has a brain" Lelouch thought. "He's right. An IFF signal is a double-edged sword, as you will see once we enter this battle," Lelouch added.

"Can't you tell us who you are?" the frustrated Ohgi asked. "At least your name!" Lelouch frowned at his stupidity.

"I can't do that. What is these signals are being intercepted? But considering that you all have code names, I suppose it is only fair I give myself one." Lelouch wondered what he could call himself. He smirked as he realized what to call himseld. "For now, call me Zero." "If the Emperor believes in absolute power, then I will be the opposite of that."

"Zero? As in nothing?"

"Get to your positions! The enemy won't wait forever. Q-1!"

"Yes?"

"Are you on schedule?"

"Yes."

"I see. P-1, P-2, and P-3, 2 Sutherlands will reach your position in 56 seconds." Lelouch paused for dramatic effect before adding, "Shoot them through the wall." Instantly, Tamaki started laughing.

"You really are a jokester, aren't you? C'mon Ohgi, this guy is a joke! Let's just go out there and whip their asses!" Lelouch reminded himself to punish this imbecile if he ever becomes his subordinate.

"Everyone, double-check your weapons." Ohgi ordered, much to Tamaki's surprise. His finger eagerly hovered over the trigger button. "Soon, those Britannians will know our pain!"

Shinjuku Ghetto G-1

"Enemy spotted at point F-31!" a man called out. Clovis smirked.

"What do they take me for, an idiot?" "A feint eh? How pedestrian. Bartley!" Clovis yelled at his subordinate.

"Yes, your highness! Tell Laso Squad to move in. Have Uvian and Valery strike from the rear!" he ordered.

Lelouch was closely watching his radar for the enemies. On it, he could see 2 Sutherlands approaching P Squad's position. Excitement filled him. "Finally, I can strike back!" By his estimates, the enemies' Sutherlands would be behind the wall he told P Squad to shoot at in 34 seconds. "This is also a test of loyalty. If they are people capable of helping me in my revolution, they would not question my orders. If they are disciplined and well-trained, they'd know that soldiers would obey first and ask later." The enemies were about to reach his comrades so Lelouch spoke into his radio, "Enemies are about to reach the kill position in 18 seconds. Shoot on my mark!" Fortunately, they all obeyed without a fuss, even that idiot Tamaki. "Almost there." Lelouch smiled devilishly. "Yes, waltz into my trap, fools." He decided that it was time to start the countdown. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, MARK!" he yelled. He looked at the radar and was pleased. Two of the enemies IFF signals disappeared and were replaced with LOST. Lelouch could only smirk at his victory. "So the game begins." His smile widened. "Shall we play, Clovis? Let's see if you've improved after all these years."

Ohgi's group could see the cockpits being ejected into the sky and couldn't help but cheer.

"We did it!"

"Hell yeah!"

"We got them Brits all right!"

"Everyone calm down!" Ohgi said, being the calm and rational person he is. "This is just one of many! We haven't won anything yet!" Ohgi's logic caused the happiness to die down in the group. The radio crackled out,

"He is right. However under my leadership, this can be just one of many battles you can win. I'll ask this again-do you trust me?" Zero's question lingered in the air. No one responded for several seconds before Ohgi replied,

"In all my time as a terrorist, I have never achieved anything remarkable. When you joined, I thought you were the one that can turn the tides in our struggle against. Only under your leadership can we truly hope to defeat the Britannians!" Ohgi turned to the rest of the resistance cell. "We must have faith in this Zero character! Before this, we were nothing, just a few insignificant terrorists. We all have to admit: We had no chance to drive Britannian out of our country! But with him." Ohgi gestured to the radio. "With him, we can actually win! We have accomplished little prior to this battle. Destroying 2 Sutherlands is a feat bigger than all our previous one's combined!" Ohgi paused before stating, "Zero could've killed all of us by now, but he hasn't. He has trusted us with these knightmares, and he deemed us worthy of his leadership. I say that only with Zero can our dream become reality. He is our only hope. If we don't take this chance, if we don't take the initiative and defeat Britannia here and now, our dream of defeating Britannia will remain a dream!" Ohgi took a deep breath before saying to the radio, "I will follow you, Zero."

For about a minute, silence ruled over the group. No one spoke, waiting to hear Zero's response. Suddenly, a quiet chuckling could be heard. Slowly, it escalated until it was full-blown laughter. The laughter then slowly died. "Ohgi, you truly are natural leader. I appreciate your speech, but I cannot have just one man following me. As a group, you all need to make a decision." Understanding what he said, Ohgi turned to his comrades.

"Our only chance is with him! It's either now or never! This decision can be the one free Japan's imprisonment!" The group was silent once again. Then, one lone voice said,

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" This chanting then quickly spread, until around 50 people were chanting, "ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!" Ohgi smiled at the scene.

"Well, Zero?"

"Very well then, let us achieve victory here!" The terrorists quickly voiced their approval.

Shinjuku Ghetto G-1

Men were furiously scrambling around the room while Clovis eyed at the scene with barely concealed anger. The once calm painters is, to be frank, pissed off at his pathetic excuse of an army. "Damn those terrorists! At this rate, our forces will be defeated and Code R will be compromised." He looked at the radar and saw the single red dot. This caused him to remember that his ass was getting beaten by a single unit. "How is this possible? Not even the Knight of One, the strongest knight in the empire, can hold off this many enemies. It's clear that the pilot is skilled so I just have to increase my numbers. Gahhh, why can"t it just roll over and die like the bug it is?" "Bartley, surround that unit!" He pointed at the single red IFF signal. "Use Quincy's squad and crush it!"

"B-but your highness, that will break our formation!"

"Then spread our forces to cover the breach! This failure is unacceptable!" Clovis icily glared at his men, who were sweating bullets.

"Y-yes, your highness!"

Lelouch looked at the positioning of Clovis's forces and nearly laughed. "Well that's a more stupid move than I expected. But then again, Clovis never was a thinker. He always did use brute force when he and Clovis played chess at Aries Villa. Even when I started with less pieces Clovis still lost. I guess it"s time to show him that he doesn"t belong on the battlefield." "Q-1, do you have a map of the ghetto?

"Yes, but it has no current landmarks," she replied.

"It'll do," he said dismissively. "Take N Group and P Group and head underground. On my mark, aim your slash harkens at the ceiling and collapse it!"

"Understood!" she replied.

"Good, send in Burts and the others and surround it!" Clovis pointed at the lone red dot. "The enemy's' main force is centered on that unit. If we surround and concentrate fire on it, the enemy will be crippled!" Clovis watched in anticipation as his forces converged on that dot. Suddenly, said dot disappeared. "What, where is it?" he yelled. Soldiers sent in reports that the enemy disappeared. What he saw next shocked him.

"With this, I call check," Lelouch said calmly as he twirled the king piece in his hand.

"G-gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Clovis's forces in the battlefield screamed in terror as the ground beneath them collapsed. The knightmares did nothing to protect them as cockpits were crushed along with the pilots inside. When the dust cleared, nothing was left

Lelouch laughed maniacally. "HAHAHAHA MY PLAN WORKED, DIDN'T IT? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I CAN DO IT! I CAN DEFEAT BRITANNIA!" He continued laughing at the success of his plan.

Clovis and his men could only gape as over a third of his forces were destroyed in an instant. Their eyes were wide in fear as they tried to comprehend what was happening. Clovis stepped back as if the mystical force that destroyed his forces was coming for him next. "Who in the hell am I up against? H-he's even better than Tohdoh! I bet that he can even take on Cornelia as well. I haven't been beaten this badly since when I challenged Schneizel to a game of chess." He could only collapse onto his knees at his realization. "I-I-I-I'm...done for." He lost hope until a familiar face showed up on the screen.

"Why, heeeelloooo, your highness!" a blue-haired scientist said with glee in his voice.

"What is the meaning of this? We're in the middle of an operation!" Bartley exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"I believe it's time for the A-6 Special Weapon to be deployed, considering we're getting our asses handed to us." Lloyd reasoned. A few minutes earlier and Clovis wouldn't have even considered the offer. However, he realized the situation he was in and decided that desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Can your toy beat them, Lloyd? Will it win?" Clovis asked. Most people wouldn't have noticed but he was really hoping the answer was yes. "If their toy can beat these terrorists, I may be able to salvage this situation I'm in right now."

Lloyd was not happy that his dear Lancelot was being called a toy and frowned in disapproval. "Please your highness, be so kind as to refer to it as Lancelot."

"OHH CEEEEECIIIIIILLLEEEE!" Lloyd cheerfully said. "We have permission to launch the Lancelot!"

"Fantastic! Suzaku?" Cecile said into her earpiece

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"We're ready to deploy. Have you read the manual?"

"Uhhh...pretty much." Suzaku said quickly, too embarrassed to admit that he actually used said manual as a pillow for a short nap and only read how to use its basic functions. He noticed a line of saliva on his chin before anyone noticed. "For Lelouch's sake, I must defeat the terrorists! Hopefully, he's already gotten out of here." Suzaku zipped up his pilot suit and entered the Lancelot's cockpit. He sat on the seat and put his hands on the controls. "It's like to simulator," he noticed. Suzaku put the white and gold knightmare activation key into the console. Immediately, the console responded, and Suzaku tensed his body in anticipation for the upcoming battle.

"Suzaku," Cecile's voice said over the radio. "The Lancelot will only have its slash harkens and blaze luminous shield for combat since it's a prototype model."

"Understood," he responded. "Guess I didn't need to read the manual after all." Suzaku grinned at his luck.

"Remember, this is an actual battle. Simulators can only account for so many variables."

"Don't worry Cecile, I'll be fine," he reassured.

"Very well then, don't be reckless." He heard Cecile input some commands. "Lloyd, initial startup complete. The OS is working perfectly, and the weapons have been calibrated. Energy filler status is at 100%. Core Luminous functioning at 97% of its potential. Yggdrasil Drive has been activated and is operating as anticipated. Man-machine interface initiated. Primary and auxiliary power generators functioning at full capacity. All systems green, Lloyd." Lloyd's voice the said,

"Well this is only a prototype so it'll have to do. Ready, Suzaku?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. Cecile?" The person in question inputted a few more commands into the console.

"You are now authorized to launch, Suzaku." Suzaku took a deep breath and prepared himself for the battle ahead.

"Lancelot, M.E. Boost activate!"

"Z-01 Lancelot, now launching!" The Lancelot's landspinners activated, and the knightmare zoomed into the ghetto and disappeared from sight a seconds later.

Tamaki was having a bad day. Apparently it was his fault that the plan failed, which is complete BS in his opinion, and now they're following orders from some random voice that saved them from imminent doom. Way too convenient if you ask him. "Stupid Ohgi," he thought. "Not my fault we"re in this fucking trapped in here." He stopped mentally ranting when he saw an enemy Sutherland in the distance. He forgot everything as his anger at Britannia rose to the surface. "DAMN BRIT!" he yelled as he fired his KMF assault rifle at the enemy. Tamaki must've been lucky because it only took his 5 and a half clips on ammunition to destroy the knightmare. "BOOYAHH. SUCK ON THAT BRITS!"

Unfortunately, Tamaki was so distracted by his victory that he didn't notice the white knightmare right behind him. The white knightmare used its slash harkens to hit the auto-eject mechanism between the cockpit and the knightmare itself.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Only after hearing the alarm blaring, and the many warning signs on the screens in the cockpit did he stop celebrating. "OH SHIIIIITTTT!" he screamed as his cockpit soared through the skies.

Lelouch was still laughing crazily. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BRITANNIA WILL FALL! I WILL RAZE HIS DAMN EMPIRE TO THE GROUND USING THIS POWER!" He was interrupted from his maniacal musings when his radio crackled to life.

"This is B Squad! Reporting enemy reinforcements!" Lelouch immediately frowned.

"Reinforcements? Well this is war so of course things would be different." He picked up the radio and said, "Status?"

"Five units ejected. It destroyed them like it was nothing!" Lelouch grew more concerned with every word.

"Enemy numbers?"

"Just one! I think it's a new model; we've never seen anything like it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The message ended with a loud and prolonged scream. Lelouch grimaced.

"What's happening out there?" he yelled. However, no one responded. "Damn, B Squad just got wiped out." Lelouch used his factospheres and focused on the area where B Squad was destroyed. An image of a white and gold knightmare came in to view on his monitors. "A new knightmare?" The knightmare then engaged with R Squad. He saw the terrorists shoot at the knightmare but the shots were stopped by some green force field on its forearm. "It can deflect bullets?" he asked. His eyes narrowed as he tried to find its weakness. "It doesn"t seem to have any additional armaments besides the shield and its slash harkens. Therefore, CQC would be its only option," Lelouch deduced. With newfound confidence, he picked up his radio and said, "N Squad, engage the white knightmare and keep your distance. N Squad, continue firing at it and slowly fall back!" He switched the channel on his radio. "P Squad, rendezvous with N Squad at point G-4! Q-1, you as well!"

"Understood." Ohgi, the leader of P Squad, replied.

"Fine," Kallen reluctantly said.

"Let's see how you handle this," Lelouch thought as his eyes narrowed to observe the battle.

The Lancelot used its slash harkens to launch itself in the air. Suzaku maneuvered the knightmare to spin around while moving towards the enemy knightmare. The Sutherland fired its rifle, but every round missed its target. Knowing the victory was unattainable, the pilot ejected to safety just before the Lancelot kicked the Sutherland with its landspinner and causing it to explode. "Yes, I can do this! With the Lancelot, I can stop all of this!" Suzaku stated passionately. He had walked through fields of corpses seven years ago, and the scene before him reminded Suzaku of the destruction he once witnessed. "I was powerless before. But now…"

He spotted another knightmare shooting at him and used his slash harkens to destroy it. "Lelouch, wait for me. I"m coming for you, my friend!" Suzaku was about to perform his signature spin kick to destroy another Sutherland, but was interrupted by several bullets hitting the back of the Lancelot.

"KUUUUUUUUURUUUUUUUUUUURUUUUUUUUUUUGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Lloyd's voice screamed through the intercom. To be honest, Suzaku couldn't care less about what his superiors thought of him right now, but he needed to apologize to shut the man up.

"I'M SORRY MR. ASPLUND! I PROMISE THAT THE LANCELOT WILL NOT GET DAMAGED ANY FURTHER! HEY, HOW'S THAT COMBAT DATA YOU'RE GETTING?" Suzaku quickly said.

"Actually, the combat data is just fine! Your performance readings are off the charts! When this is over, I would like to make you the Lancelot's devicer. You're the last component needed for my Lancelot" A loud thump could be heard—"OW!"

"LLOYD!" Cecile scolded. Silently, Suzaku chuckled to himself. It was nice having relaxed superiors that didn't care that he was an Eleven. The radio went silent after Lloyd was repeatedly hit and lectured about his poor social skills. Suzaku continued dodging the many bullets that were coming his way.

"They're trying to surround me. At this rate, I'll be completely overwhelmed." He engaged his Blaze Luminous shield and charged at the knightmares in front of him while dodging the stream of bullets coming from behind him. The enemies in front of him kept shooting, but their efforts were in vain. Suzaku launched himself into the air and swung his slash harkens at the enemies. He made sure to hit the auto-eject mechanism on their machines; He wasn't a merciless killer. After taking out two enemies, he punched another and destroyed it. The last knightmare frantically tried to flee, but Suzaku's landspinner collided with its frame and hit the Yggrasil Drive.

"Grrrrrrrrr." Suzaku hissed as his side exploded in pain. "I just need"—he took a breath—"to hold out a little longer." He shot another slash harken at the last knightmare in front of him, causing the now useless machine to fall. Satisfied, Suzaku turned his attention to the terrorists behind him.

Lelouch's mouth was on the floor as he tried to comprehend the scene before him. "It just annihilated N Squad," he thought. His clenched his teeth in anger as the tide of the battle was being turned back into Clovis's favor. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no possible way that he could win. The white knightmare single-handedly destroyed B Squad, N Squad, and R Squad, a total of 18 knightmares. At the rate it's going at, all his forces will be destroyed.

He didn't want to retreat, but his choices were to either continue fighting and die along with the terrorists, or retreat and find a way to contact the terrorists. Ultimately, Lelouch was choosing either his pride or his life. Sighing, he reluctantly picked up his radio. "P Squad and Q-1, retreat!" The gasps of surprise could be heard over the radio. "At this rate, all of us will be defeated. I suggest you retreat and take care of those Sutherlands." Many people argued that they could defeat the white knightmare until a sole voice of reason cut through the chatter.

"Everyone, he's right! That knightmare defeated all the others. What chance do we have against it?" Lelouch smiled to himself. Finally, someone with a brain. "We must live to fight another day! Remember, we may lose this battle, but the war can still be won!"

"He's very charismatic. No wonder he's their leader." Lelouch turned off his radio and watched his forced retreat. "I need to stop Clovis and this damn massacre!" He said through gritten teeth. He was about to go to the G-1 Clovis was in, but he noticed that the white knightmare was looking directly at him. A second later, the knightmare was closing in on his location at an amazing speed. "Shit," Lelouch swore.

10 minutes later

Clovis was having the time of his life right now. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Clovis continued laughing like a mad mad at the situation. He had just turned the entire situation around. Prior to the launch of Asplund's toy, he was actually afraid of the measly terrorists. He, Clovis la Britannia, the 3rd Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, afraid of terrorists! "Gentlemen, that's is how you win a battle," Clovis announced as he gestured to the retreating terrorists on the radar. "I suggest that you become more competent, or I will have your heads! To think that a prince should be helping his suboridantes do their jobs." Clovis scowled at the thought. "Such work is below me," he said arrogantly. "I can make you miracles such as this one that we have witnessed, but I'd prefer it if you actually did what you're paid to do."

"Yes, your highness!" his men said, trying hard not to point out the act that he did absolutely nothing to help the situation.

"Dammit," Lelouch cursed under his breath. He was being chased by the white knightmare after it had spotten him in his perch, and for a novice pilot, he was doing a great job at evading the knightmare. He jerked his machine to the left then to the right in order to dodge the slash harkens coming his way. He turned around and fired several bullets at the knightmare only for them to be blocked.

"I'm still alive," Lelouch commented. "Maybe my mother's blood runs strongly within me. It could also be those military-grade knightmare simulators I won off some noble a few years back." Lelouch continued running away from his enemy as he tried to think of a plan. "I need to get to Clovis so I can stop this massacre. However…" Lelouch dodged what seemed like the 100th slash harken that went his way. "Grrr think Lelouch, think! It's only a matter of time before he gets me. Your king is being pursued around the board by the Queen. What do you do?" As he pondered that question, he remembered one of the many questions he asked his brother, Schneizel, about chess.

8 Years Ago

Lelouch stared hard at the chessboard before him. He was currently losing by a fairly large margin, and it was only a matter of time before Schneizel would put him in checkmate. His king was currently being chased around the board by the 2nd Prince's queen. The only other pieces on his side were two pawns and a knight, while Schneizel still has a rook, bishop, and 4 pawns. He was thinking about a way to win but the prodigious strategist couldn't come up with a solution. So he did the next thing that came to his mind: ask Schneizel.

"Brother Schneizel, what would you do if your king is being hunted down by the opponent's queen?" he asked as he gestured to the game between them. Schneizel flashed a knowing smile before answering his brother's question.

"Why the only think you can do, of course."

"And what would that be?" Lelouch inquired. His brother gave him a small smile before saying,

"You GTFO, Lelouch."

"GTFO?"

"Yes, you GTFO. In other words, run away." Lelouch frowned at the lack of wisdom in his brother's words.

"That's not exactly going to help, brother Schneizel." The older brother chuckled mirthfully.

"Trust me, Lelouch. Knowing when to GTFO is an essential skill. For example, if you just walked in on father having sex, you GTFO. If Euphy's crying, and Cornelia sees that you're the only other person in the room, you GTFO. If you're working with terrorists in order to create a gentler world for your blind and cripped sister, and you're being chased by a white and gold knightmare, you GTFO." By the time Schneizel was finished talking about when to GTFO, Lelouch already had a notepad and pencil out and was taking notes on his brother's words.

"I see," Lelouch said as he took in Schneizel's words. "If this is a skill I must learn in order to be successful, I will master it!" he thought with determination evident in his eyes. His older brother looked at his younger sibling and couldn't help but be proud of him. "Brother Schneizel, someday, I will master how to GTFO and be the best there ever was!" he announced. The older prince ruffled his hair and lightly chuckled.

"I'm sure you will, Lelouch."

"Well I don't know about the gentler world part," Lelouch thought. He let hid thoughts wonder back to his current predicament. "How has that knightmare not caught up with me, yet? Perhaps the machine was damaged, or is the pilot injured?"

In an effort to slow the enemy knightmare, Lelouch turned his machine around and put it in reverse. While retreating away, he fired his rifle at the buildings around him and hoped the debris would crush it. However, the extremely agile machine simply dodged every single one and continued pursuing him. Disappointed, Lelouch rotated his knightmare back forwards and revved the machine to its maximum speed. "Dammit, that thing's unstoppable!" He focused on trying to get out of the situation, but a voice over an open channel disturbed his thoughts.

"Bastard! How dare you destroy things for no reason; those are people's homes!" Lelouch could immediately tell he was hurt from his voice.

"So my suspicions are correct. Well, if he wants to argue about all this destruction, then so be it." "The Britannian military has no right to talk about destroying peoples' homes! All you guys do is destroy, not once have you actually rebuilt!" Memories of fields of bloody corpses passed through Lelouch's mind as he continued arguing with the enemy pilot.

"You are doing the same here! You're no better!"

"Actually, I am better. These are no longer homes, but they are buildings. The difference between a home and a building is that a home is a place where one can be sheltered and can return to. All the people here are dead! Care to guess why?!"

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't stolen the poison gas, we wouldn't have had to come here!"

"An entire massacre of a ghetto cannot be justified!"

"If you want to change Britannia, then change it from within! You have to work with the system; despicable methods will gain you nothing!" At this point, Lelouch was getting tired of the idealistic imbelice that he's fighting.

"Seriously? Work with the system?" "Are you kidding me? You can't work with the system if the system itself is corrupt! Look at this massacre!" He gazed at their battlefield. Homes destroyed. Corpses littered the streets. Blood everywhere. "This is what your leaders have caused!"

Suzaku paused for a moment as he contemplated the man's voice. "Can I really change Britannia? If what the guy's saying is true, then Prince Clovis was lying to us. Is change really possible?" Unfortunately, his musing was cut short when his opponent took notice of his hesitation and suddenly turned around and to fire at him. Suzaku, with his god-like reflexes, jerked his machine to the right and to avoid the hail of bullets coming his way. However, he grimaced as gunfire hit his landspinners, and the Lancelot fell over from the lack of a propulsion system.

"Dammit!" Suzaku cursed as he punched the monitor in frustration. "Grrr, they're getting away!"

"KURURUGI!" his eccentric superior's voice screamed through the radio. "MY LANCELOT IS DAMAGED BECAUSE OF YO—" Luckily, Cecile intervened and Suzaku heard a roll of paper used to smack his boss's head.

"Sorry, Suzaku! Unfortunately, your landspinners aren't functioning right now. I'm afraid that we'll have to pick you up." Suzaku frowned at the trouble that he was causing his superiors.

"I'm really sorry Ms. Cecile. Forgi—"

"It's okay, Suzaku. I was a pilot once so I know that mishaps like this happen time to time," Cecile's kind voice interrupted. Seeing that he might be a while before he can be retrieved, Suzaku relaxed his the cockpit and thought of the man's words once again.

"You can't work with the system if the system itself is corrupt!" The man's voice echoed.

Kallen hurried back to her group's hideout along with the remains of the resistance cell. "Only if that white knightmare hadn"t come along, we would've won!" Victory was a thought that was seldomly thought by the Japanese. Britannia had crushed them when they invaded, and countless Japanese are abused everyday by them. It was only logical for Kallen to be pissed off when victory had been offered to her on a silver platter, only for it to be snatched back. "Dammit, and we were so close too," she muttered as she entered the hideout. "At least we managed to hide those Sutherlands in the tunnels where the Britannians can"t find them." Her thoughts then turned to the person who gave them the instructions to hide their new knightmares. "Just who is this "Zero"?" She was going to continue her thinking when loud chatter and yelling caused her to cover her ear drums. She turned to the loudest person in the crowd, which she knew without a doubt was Tamaki.

"Tamaki, SHUT THE HELL UP!" she screamed at her obnoxious, loud-mouthed friend. Said person turned to face the red-head with an irritated expression on his face.

"Not my fault, Kallen! Everyone won't shut the hell up!" he pointed out while waving his gun the air to further show his exasperation.

"It your fault! This is what happens when we oppose the Britannians!" one voice accused.

"What?! Grrrr, why you gutless coward!" he growled back.

"How many people were killed because of us?!" another exclaimed.

"Shut up! Do you know how many of us were killed or captured, do ya?!" The crowd continued to bicker and fight until a powerful and commanding voice silenced the group.

"Enough! Everyone keep quiet so the Britannians don't find us. We must keep calm!" he commanded, skills from his teaching days coming back to him. He turned to the red-head next to him. "Kal—"

"No, Ohgi. I don't have any ideas on who Zero is, and I'm pretty sure you don't either," she said. "Is there a way we can track him down?"

"Yes, Kallen. I can definitely find out the identity of a man with only his voice as a clue," he answered sarcastically. Unfortunately, this earned him a playful punch (But it still hurt like hell) from the feisty girl. "Sheesh, control your anger. I was only joking."

"Oh? Are you telling me that you got hurt by a light punch from an innocent, little girl?" She batted her best I'm-innocent-and-harmless eyes at him for extra effect, which quickly won the exchange for her.

"If only you weren't so cute," Ohgi said.

"Well I am so deal with it," she countered. Ohgi was going to make a retort, but a wall was destroyed, sending debris and dust all over the place. Everyone covered their eyes as dirt and dust assaulted the members of the resistance cell.

After several seconds, Kallen and Ohgi lowered their arms to look at the source of the destruction, only to be staring down the main barrel of a tank.

Tamaki pointed his gun at the tank in a futile attempt to intimidate the Britannian soldiers. "I told ya, Ohgi! Instead of following someone we don"t even know, we should've use the fucking poison gas!" he complained. Ohgi ignored him and analyzed the situation.

"Damn, we're trapped in here." He turned to the hot-tempered teen next to him. "Kallen, get out of here!" he hissed.

"No way, Ohgi! I'm not leaving you behind!"

"You have to live! If not for me, then for Naoto!"

"There's no way I can get out of here, Ohgi. We're surrounded!" she said.

"Damn it, she's right." Ohgi felt tears run down his face as memories of him, Kallen, and Naoto flooded his mind. "I'm so sorry Naoto. I couldn't protect her." His crying stopped however, when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Ohgi. You didn't fail; I did, or rather Tamaki did," she quietly said with a chuckle. Ohgi chuckled in response, then turned his attention back to the Britannians.

"So this is where you Eleven scum have ran off to. Hmph, all troups, prepare to fire!" He raised his right hand as soldiers cocked their rifles and aimed at the terrorists.

"On my mark! Three! Two! One!"

"I'm sorry, Naoto!"

"Mar—"

"Attention all forces, cease fire at once!" the familiar voice of Clovis commanded through the radio. Instantly, everyone looked at the radio in surprise. Why would Clovis command a cease-fire? "I, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and royal viceroy of Area 11, hereby you to cease fire at once! All destruction of any buildings or property will be cease, as well! All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, will be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered to cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"

Shinjuku Ghetto G-1

The lights were off in the command G-1 as Clovis la Britannia looked at the intruder who forced him to order the cease-fire. "Well, are you satisfied?"

"Very, well done," the man praised. He stepped forward into the light where Clovis could see him. It was a soldier in a standard combat suit. He had his helmet on so Clovis couldn't see his face. More importantly, he held a gun in his hand, which was unfortunately pointed at the prince. Seeing no other options, Clovis propped his arm on the armrest on his throne and rested his head on his hand and waited for what the man had to say.

"So what do you want to do now? Sing a few lively songs? Perhaps some tea and scones? Shall I introduce you to some lovely women? Or maybe I can interest you in a game of chess?" he said. The man stepped closer to Clovis, gun still pointed directly at him.

"Chess? Now that has a familiar ring to it." Surprised, Clovis raised his eyebrow.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You don't remember? We used to play chess together when we were boys at Aries Villa. Of course, I would always win." At the mention of Aries Villa, Clovis tensed and started panicking.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" he demanded. Before he could make any further inquiries, the man cocked his gun, which meant "shut up, or I'll blow your brains out."

"You don't remember? I'm hurt," he said sarcastically. Clovis's mind was racing to try and remember of a boy from his childhood who had a grudge against him. Sadly, he doesn't remember the man's identity. Who would have a grudge against Clovis, the playful painter anyway? Thanfully, the man stepped into the light where Clovis could see me. The man, no boy that was threatening him was a very familiar face from his childhood.

"Lelouch?" he muttered, clearly surprised. Was this boy really him? His eyes were as large as saucers, and he quickly stood up and leaned closer to the boy to see if it was truly his long-lost younger brother.

"Yes, you're indeed correct Clovis. It's been a while, big brother." Lelouch stepped forward and kneeled in front of Clovis with his right arm behind his back, and his left arm straight across his chest. Clovis could only gape as his brother looked up and paralyzed him with his large, mystical, amethyst eyes. "The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and 17th in line to the imperial throne. Lelouch vi Britannia at your service," he announced.

The shock at seeing his exiled sibling was too much for Clovis, and he subconsciously took a step back.

"But you're de—"

"Dead? Oh I can assure you that I'm very much alive, Clovis." They joy of seeing his big brother again was outweighed by the danger he was in. They were alone in a dark room, and Lelouch was armed while Clovis was not. Judging from Lelouch's expression and tone, this wasn't going to end well for Clovis. "I have returned your highness, and I've come back to change everything."

"I'm overjoyed, L-Lelouch. W-we should d-depart for the mainland immediately," Clovis said shakily. The gun pointed right at his head didn't exactly help either. "They said you died when Britannia invaded, but I knew that my younger brother wouldn't die that easily." Unfortunately for Clovis, flattery didn't work on Lelouch.

"And why should I do that? So that pathetic excuse of a father can use me as his pawn again?!" With each word, Lelouch's anger and voice rose. Just thinking of that man sickened him. "You seem to have forgotten, Clovis. Perhaps I can recall your memory." He lowered his weapon, but left the safety disengaged so Clovis wasn't safe yet. "Marianne vi Britannia held the title of Knight of Honor, but was a commoner by birth. No doubt that the other imperial consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I'm no fool." Lelouch raised his gun and jammed the barrel into Clovis's forehead. "YOU PEOPLE KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"L-Lelouch, it wasn't me!" Surprisingly, Lelouch stepped back and lowered the gun.

"Oh, we'll find out soon, big brother," Lelouch said. The thought of how he was going to get the truth scared Clovis.

"W-what will you do?" he asked nervously. At this question, Lelouch only smirked.

"First, I'll force the truth out of you. Then, I'll discredit your name." Lelouch grinned evilly as he activated his power.

10 minutes later

When Lelouch's power deactivated, Clovis tensed in fear at the sight of the gun pointed directly at him. He recalled that Lelouch wanted to know who killed his mother and immediately spoke, "I SWEAR LELOUCH! IT WASN'T ME!" He hid behind his raised arms in an attempt to escape from his brother's intense gaze. Fortunately, Lelouch lowered his gun and stepped forward. Clovis sighed in relief but his fears came back to him as Lelouch put the barrel of his firearm directly on his head. "Y-you intend to kill me?! But we're brothers!"

"You've changed Clovis,' he said solemnly."Why did you kill all these people?" he asked calmly, trying very hard to hide the disgust in his voice.

"They're w-were just E-Elevens," he reasoned.

"Elevens?!" Lelouch spat out the word. "How disgusting, Clovis."

"You're going to kill me?! You monster!" Clovis screamed in anger. Lelouch didn't even flinch at his tone.

"I will burn his empire to the ground, and I'll start with you." He cocked the gun. "I will create a new world, a peaceful one. But as long as he stands in my way, that world cannot be created. If I have to stain my hands with evil to destroy evil, then so be it. If my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. If it will give me the power to change this world, then I will welcome the darkness with open arms! If the world will not change, then I, a king, will destroy it and create it anew!"

"P-please Lelouch, don't do it!"

"Goodbye, Clovis." A single bullet embedded itself into the prince's skull, commencing the start of his revolution.

Tokyo National Airport

1:07 AM

The cold air attacked a young girl's coat relentlessly. The moon shined its light on two figures: a young 17 year-old girl, and a well-built man in his 30s. Both of them had just gotten off their private airplane and were waiting patiently for their ride to pick them up. The man and the teen were dressed very nicely. The girl wore a fleece jacket and a white blouse underneath. Unfortunately, her thigh-long skirt did little to protect her from the merciless cold. The moonlight shined beautifully off her dazzling blond hair, and her striking blue, cerulean eyes made the moon itself envious. Her face revealed nothing, and her posture was that of a princess's.

Beside her, the man was wearing a formal black and white business suit, which hid his large muscles well. His gaze was cold and calculating, and he was alert for any possible dangers to his charge.

"If I may ask, Leona, why are we here?" the man asked politely. The girl smiled, and turned to her guard.

"Why, for Lelouch vi Britannia, of course," she said, a predatory glint in her eye.

A/N: Well, that was long. Very long. At least you guys have a lot of material to read. Moving on, let's talk about the fanfic itself. Regarding the story, I do have a lot of ideas on what to do with it. If all goes well, this story should be deviating from canon in a few more chapters (which won't be nearly as long). For pairings, I haven't decided yet. Mostly likely, this will be a LelouchxHarem or a C. story, but no gurantees. Oh and there won't be a romantic relationship between Suzaku and Lelouch, which will either be a godsend or disappointment depending on your tastes. Updates will be about once a month if all goes well. Once again, I encourage you guys to review and ask questions. Even if you're just going to bash me, just review.